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News Article

First Lady Asks Citizens to Write Service Members in Bosnia

By Rudi WilliamsAmerican Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 1996  After returning home from a trip to Europe with her husband, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton wrote a newspaper column asking Americans to help lift the spirits of troops in the former Yugoslavia by writing letters to them.

"Often when our troops represent us around the world, we overlook the sacrifices made by their families," she wrote. "Some of these wives (and husbands) have spent years overseas, far from friends and relatives. They have raised their children in foreign lands, often on their own, while supporting their husbands careers and our country.

"Our armed forces are also doing their part to help," Clinton said. "As we learned in Desert Storm and other recent deployments, no operation can fully succeed without the 'rear detachment,' the military personnel who stay behind on the base to back up our troops and their families.

Clinton said the Defense Department has set up a special address where the public can send letters to service members in Bosnia and their families. "Please make an effort to support our military men and women deployed in Bosnia in the coming weeks," she said. "Write to them. Encourage them to write back. Most of all, tell them how proud we are of them and how grateful we are for their sacrifices they making on behalf of American values.

"I also want to ask Americans to think about and pray for the brave spouses and families that are left behind," the first lady said. "They need our support as well."